Before the War...
Before the foreign invasions, Sri Lanka was separated, you could say, into two kingdoms: one for the Tamils and one for the Sinhalese. But during the rule of the British, the two kingdoms were put together under one administration for easier rule of the country. However, when the British left in 1948, giving independence to the island, they gave the power to the majority, which are the Sinhalese. They had started treating the Tamils badly and discriminating against them, who held key positions in the government (prior to Sinhalese rule), majority in civil services and businesses, had higher education, and were economically more powerful. Political parties from both communities came together and tried to solve these problems with peace talks; however, even after about 20 years, the Tamil parties could not persuade the Sinhalese.
To even further the support of Sinhalese and Buddhism, the Sri Lankan government passed the 'Sinhala Only' Act, stating that you could only speak Sinhala. This infuriated Tamils. There were many anti-Tamil riots after this, where many Tamils were killed and thousands were displaced.
To even further the support of Sinhalese and Buddhism, the Sri Lankan government passed the 'Sinhala Only' Act, stating that you could only speak Sinhala. This infuriated Tamils. There were many anti-Tamil riots after this, where many Tamils were killed and thousands were displaced.
Tensions Leading to the war...
The first Tamil uprising was in 1971. Students were protesting against the new educational standardized system in entering universities. The Sinhalese government had introduced this new system to prevent the Tamils from getting a higher education that the Sinhalese. The student movement later became a militant rebellion. To have freedom and their own independent country called "Tamil Eelam," and armed struggle begand. In the '70s and '80s, multiple militant groups were formed. On May 5, 1976, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was created and formed by Velupillai Prabhakaran. Their main objective was to create and keep their own independent country for the Sri Lankan Tamils called "Tamil Eelam." There had been many riots targeting Tamils during the '70s and '80s. One included burning the Jaffna Library, one of the world's largest libraries at that time. The accused were Sinhalese police, and this further angered the Tamils. With more tension and corruption in the air, the start of the Sri Lankan Civil War was close.